Jordyn Wieber Blogs About Prepping for Gold at the London Olympics

Jordyn Wieber has always dreamed of being an Olympian. A gymnast since the age of 4, she shot through the ranks and reached elite status in the sport by 10. Wieber was named the 2008 U.S. Junior National Champion, and in 2011, became the all-around World Champion. The 17-year-old Dewitt, Michigan, native and spokesperson for Kellogg’s Olympic Program ‘From Great Starts Come Great Things’ is blogging her experiences from London for PEOPLE.com. She wrote the following blog before competition began … check back for more later in the week!

Now that I’m finally in London and using these final days before the Olympics to rest, I think it’s important to take the time to reflect on the past year leading up to the Games.

Most recently, I competed in the Olympic Trials in the end of June – I’ve never been so nervous in my life! All of my training came down to those three days, which could make or break my Olympic dream.

Luckily, I was able to keep my focus and channel my nerves into adrenaline, something that with years of practice and determination has helped me achieve my goals. I’m also fortunate enough to be close friends with the other girls on the team, and their support and confidence in me also helped me stay calm throughout. To qualify for the Olympics really was a dream come true.

Prepping for Competition

In the weeks leading up to the Games, I’ve been reducing the intensity of training and resting my muscles. Before Trials, I was practicing for several hours a day, but now the most important thing is to let my body recover before competition starts. I’ve been making sure to get plenty of sleep and eat as healthy as possible.

Part of this is eating a great breakfast every morning to fuel me for the rest of the day – that includes a mix of carbs, protein, fruit, and veggies. I do get nervous just like everyone else, so to help me prepare mentally I spend time visualizing my routines; it motivates me to push myself and it also helps me to not get too worried about negative outcomes of the competition and focus on the positives.

When I think back to all of the experiences I’ve had throughout my Olympic journey, one experience that has really stuck out in my mind has been my partnership with Team Kellogg’s for their Olympic program, “From Great Starts Come Great Things.”

The Kellogg’s Olympic program is all about celebrating the start – the potential we all feel at the beginning of something, even the beginning of each day. I am very excited to be a part of this campaign, because it has given me the chance to reflect on the moment I realized that being a member of Team USA Gymnastics was my ultimate dream. Great starts can be big or small and they create the potential for great days, every day. Without a great start, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

An Early Introduction

My start in gymnastics happened so fast. I began competing when I was 4 years old. I always had a ton of energy when I was younger, and my parents put me in gymnastics as a good way to release my energy. I immediately fell in love with it and have been training towards my Olympic dream ever since.

Now, I am so excited to be at my first Olympic Games! My biggest goal has always been to make the 2012 Olympic Team, and my dream has finally come true. My journey to the Olympics has been filled with ups and downs, but it was all worth it the moment I stepped out of the plane and set foot in London.

The atmosphere here is amazing; it’s unlike any competition I’ve ever experienced. The energy in the Olympic Village is so high, and it’s incredible to be around a mix of camaraderie, competitiveness, and adrenaline. It’s so exciting to be in such a great city, my teammates and I have had such a great time London together before we have to get serious for competition.

The Olympics are the ultimate world stage, so one of my goals during the Games is to inspire people everywhere to unlock their own potential as they are starting off on their own path towards something great. My other goal of course is to bring home a gold medal! I can’t wait for competition to start and to represent Team USA while on the road to victory.